I woke up around nine Christmas morning to an empty bed. I laid there for a while, much too cozy to get up, before my phone rang and I was forced to emerge from my blanket cocoon. The caller ID showed Emmett and I sighed, knowing I couldn't ignore it like I had ignored Edward's yesterday.

"Merry Christmas," I greeted, stifling a yawn.

"Merry Christmas, Ro-bear!" Emmett greeted loudly and much too exuberantly for nine in the morning- but, I reminded myself, it was still evening for him. "Rose is with me too, by the way. You're on speaker."

"Alright. How are you guys?"

"Good! We miss you, though, we wish you would have stayed for Christmas," Emmett said.

"But we understand why you didn't," Rose jumped in. "Do you have any special plans for today?"

"Special plans? Not any that I know of. But with my mates, I can never say for certain. That have a tendency to go a little overboard," I said fondly.

"No surprise there. We just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas, but I'm sure you need to eat and spend time with your mates and the guard," Rose said.

"Thanks for calling. I appreciate it," I said.

"Expect everyone else to call at some point. Also, would you please answer Edward's calls, he's been bitching about it all day. I know you're still pissed at him- I am too, so believe me when I say that I get it- but I can't take it anymore," Emmett complained.

I shook my head amusedly. "Alright. I can't ignore him forever, I guess. At least you guys aren't the mind readers so you don't have to listen to his 'woe is me' thoughts."

"True enough!" Emmett said with a shout of laughter.

"We'll let you go now, Rowan, but call us again when you get the chance. I want to hear all about your first Christmas in Volterra!" Rose ordered.

"Alright, Mom, alright. I won't forget," I promised. "Talk to you guys later. Make fun of Edward for me."

"We always do," Rose said, a smile in her voice. "Love you, Rowan."

"Love ya, pipsqueak!" Emmett said.

"Love you guys, too. Merry Christmas!" I said before hanging up the phone and slipping it into the back pocket of my jeans. Once I had finished getting ready for the day, I emerged from my bedroom into the main room, where my mates were conspicuously absent. Alec was seated in my recliner reading a book, though he looked up when I stepped out.

"Good morning, Queen Rowan," he greeted. "I hope you slept well. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you as well, Alec. Where are the kings?" I asked.

"Around," he said vaguely. "Shall I call for your breakfast?"

"Sure," I acquiesced, confused. "Are they in trial?"

"No," he said, snapping his book shut and setting it aside. "Wait here."

"Okay." I stared after him, my brows furrowed. He returned shortly after with a plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

"Your breakfast, as requested," he said. I poured myself a cup of milk before taking a seat at my table.

"Thanks, Alec. I don't understand why-"

"The masters aren't here? I'm afraid I can't tell you," he said apologetically. "Not that I know, regardless. Master Aro approached very early this morning and requested I act as your guard until they returned."

"But you do have a hunch," I said.

A half-smile flitted across his lips. "I wouldn't say I know, not for certain. But I have my suspicions."

"Any that you'd care to share?"

"Not particularly," Alec said. He seemed to be enjoying my frustration and gestured towards the untouched plate of food. "You should eat."

I huffed in annoyance and tucked into my meal, seeing no point in arguing. Alec returned to his book and didn't so much as glance up until I turned on the sink, rinsing my plate. "Where's Jane?"

"Not sure. Did you like your Christmas gift from us?" Alec asked.

"I haven't opened it yet. I've waited to open all my presents today," I told him.

He set his book aside once more. "It couldn't hurt to open a few from the guard. At least open the one from Jane and I. It has my name on it, but I'm awful at gift-giving, so Jane is really the one who picked it out."

"It's the thought that counts, right?" I asked with a grin, poking around the tree to find the gift labeled from Alec and Jane.

He chuckled. "Yes, I suppose."

I finally found their gift. It was a heavy, wrapped box. "I hope you didn't go too overboard."

"Not at all. We guard are payed, you know. And considering how long we've been in service to the masters, we have amassed quite the fortune ourselves," he said. "Go on, open it."

I ripped into the paper and grinned when I saw the gift. "The Harry Potter series?"

"Your bookshelves are sorely lacking in content. I know a lot of your books are still back at the Cullen home. So we thought - or Jane thought, rather - that you maybe needed a little help along."

"Thank you, Alec! This is great. I'll have to thank Jane when I next see her," I said, picking up the Harry Potter box set and carrying it into my study, storing it safely on one of the bookshelves.

"She'll be happy to know that you like it. And as soon as I can get my hands on some copies of the final book, I'll be sure to send one your way. Consider it an IOU," Alec said.

"You don't have to do that," I protested.

"The Volturi have a lot of connections, which means I can get the book way earlier than the release date. Trust me, you want me to," he remarked.

I grinned at him. "If you insist."

"I do." He followed me back into the main room as the door swung open and my three mates entered.

Aro beamed when he saw me. "Merry Christmas, mia cara! Our apologies for not being here when you woke, we had hoped to be back by then. But I trust dear Alec was good company?"

"He always is," I said. "Thanks, Alec."

"It was my pleasure entirely, Queen Rowan," Alec said, giving the kings a short bow and taking his leave.

"I see he convinced you to open the gift from him and Jane. Jane will be most disappointed that she wasn't here for you to open it as well," Aro said. "She was very excited about it."

"I'm already planning a big thank you the next time I see her," I said. "Where have you three been?"

"Simply taking care of some business. Nothing for you to worry over, amore," Caius said, hanging his coat and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"We're sorry if we've caused you any distress," Marcus added, smiling apologetically.

"No distress. A little disappointment that you weren't around when I woke up, but I think I can get over it. After all, it is Christmas. And we have presents that aren't going to open themselves," I said, gesturing towards the tree.

"How right you are, dearest! What would you like to open first?" Aro asked, the three of us settling down around the tree.

"Whichever you think," I said. "From the looks of it, I have plenty of options."

"How about we start with the guards' presents?" Marcus suggested. "Then we can move on to the ones from us."

"Good plan," I agreed.

We spent some time unwrapping gifts and throwing discarded wrapping paper when we thought someone wasn't paying attention. The gifts from my mates' were just as extravagant as I had expected, though there were some that were more down to earth, such as books. The one they were clearly most excited about was a Volturi cloak for myself; I wasn't sure where they had gotten my exact measurements for it, as even I didn't know my own, but that was a mystery short lived.

"Darling Alice was sweet enough to provide the needed measurements when I asked," Aro said, looking pleased with himself.

"Try it on," Caius encouraged.

I swept it dramatically over my shoulders, where the surprisingly heavy cloak draped as if I had been born to wear it. "What do you think?"

"Magnifica! Just as splendid as we imagined," Aro said with a smile.

"You look quite imposing, amore. Not a woman likely to be crossed," Caius said, eyeing me hungrily.

"Regal, as any queen should be," Marcus said softly, fastening the cloak for me with a smile. "It becomes you, Rowan."

"You think so?" I asked, feeling uncertain. I would be expected to rule with them one day, but what if I wasn't up to the task?

"Yes. You will make a splendid queen, we have no doubt about that," Marcus said, kissing my cheek.

I settled, reassured. "Thank you, Marcus. It is a bit warm in here to be wearing a cloak, no matter how badass I look with it on."

Caius laughed. "Even without the cloak, you are a force to be reckoned with. And after your change, you will be a truly fierce sight to behold."

"What, I'm not already?" I asked him playfully as I carefully unclasped the cloak.

"Oh, very fierce. I am certainly no match for you," Caius responded, lifting the cloak off my shoulders and hanging it up quicker than I could blink. "But perhaps we shouldn't test that theory, hmm?"

"Maybe not. I wouldn't want to embarrass you," I said, grinning at him.

"I appreciate the thought," Caius said.

"Shall we go for a walk? Volterra winters are much milder than those in Forks, and it is quite nice out by human standards," Aro suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea," I agreed, pulling on the leather jacket Jasper had bought for me last Christmas. "Let's go."

We left my wing of the castle for the chillier corridors, where we bumped into several cheerful guard members. I spotted Demetri wearing a ridiculous, obnoxiously colorful hat that I knew had to be from Felix. Said vampire was sneaking photos when he thought Demetri wasn't looking.

"Demetri and Felix are soul brothers, much like Aro, Caius, and I. It is a truly special bond," Marcus commented when he noticed whom I was staring at.

"Tell me more," I requested, interested.

"The bonds of soul siblings aren't as obvious as that of the mate bond and nowhere near as demanding. Mates are akin to finding yourself while soul siblings are akin to finding an extension of yourself. Alice and Bella are soul sisters. You and Edward-"

"Me and Edward?" I repeated in disbelief. Edward was my soul brother despite everything he had done to me?

"Yes. Try not to look so horrified, you and Edward aren't quite as different as you'd like to believe. You will forgive him, as soul siblings always do. Not because you're forced to, but because you want to. You still care about him, correct?"

"Yes," I admitted begrudgingly.

Marcus sounded amused. "And you will continue to. I would not presume to tell you what to do, but I believe answering his phone calls may be to your benefit. Whether or not you want to admit it, we know you miss him."

I grumbled. "So the problem will just magically go away because we're soul siblings?"

"Certainly not. You have to work for it, like every other relationship. But you may find it easier to forgive with the sibling bond that you share."

"We would know. We've had our fair share of disagreements over the centuries, and yet here we are," Caius said, casting Aro and Marcus looks of fond exasperation.

"I forgot we had flowers that bloom in the winter here," I said as we walked out into the garden. The chilly weather and general holiday hubbub kept me from venturing into the garden as much as I usually did during the summer, and it teemed with just as much life as it did during the typical growing season.

"Yes. Quite beautiful, aren't they? These flowers bloom during a time when most would wither," Aro observed.

"Snowdrops grow best in shade," Caius said, nodding towards the white flowers that bloomed underneath the shade of an evergreen.

I wandered over to the snowdrops, crouching down to cup the bloom in my fingers. "How long will they bloom for?"

"Not much longer. Perhaps a few more days," Marcus said as I took his hand and allowed him to pull me up. "Come, we want to show you something."

"Alright," I agreed, curiosity piqued. The garden was large enough that I wouldn't be surprised if there was some portion I had left unexplored.

Caius led the way, striding down familiar paths at a pace so quick I would have had to jog to keep up. "Brother," Aro called, "slow down. There's no rush."

"Of course. My apologies, amore," Caius said, giving me a warm smile and slowing to a leisurely stroll.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see," Aro said, looking almost giddy with excitement. I glanced at Marcus, hoping for more of a hint, but his face was strangely expressionless. When he caught my gaze, however, he gave me a half-smile and said nothing.

"Here," Caius said, halting and turning back. He looked almost relieved to see me, as if he was scared I would disappear. We were in the center of the garden, a place I knew well; it was the prettiest part, complete with a fountain, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about the spot.

"Do you have any idea why we brought you here?" Aro asked.

"No, none," I said. "We've all been here plenty of times before. It's probably my favorite part of the whole garden."

"Which is why we wanted to do this here," Caius said. "Amore, the second we met you our lives changed irrevocably as we were given the greatest gift of all: you. You see me for what I am and yet you love me." He got down on one knee.

They're proposing. They're proposing!

"You breathed new life into me and I love you beyond hope, beyond reason, beyond anything in this universe," Marcus said, sinking to a knee by his brother.

"You are all we will ever want or need for all of eternity. We- I love you with all that I am, and it is because of this love that we ask," Aro said, getting down on one knee and presenting a ring. "Rowan Amelia Cullen, will you be our wife?"

"Yes," I nodded, feeling tears flood my eyes. "Yes, of course, yes!"

Aro carefully slipped the engagement ring on my finger and I didn't even get a chance to look at it before Caius grabbed me, lifting me off my feet and twirling me around. "I love you. We were so nervous that-"

"You thought I'd say no? Really?" I asked, almost disbelieving. I loved them. Of course I wanted to marry them!

"Well, I knew you wouldn't," Aro interjected.

"Don't listen to him. He was the most nervous of all of us," Marcus interjected, pulling me gently away from Caius to kiss me lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too," I murmured.

Aro took my right hand, tugging me to him and giving me a chance to examine my ring. It was beautiful, rose gold, set with a diamond that probably cost more than all of my Christmas gifts combined. It wasn't flashy or tacky; I loved it.

"I knew you would," Aro said, lifting my hand to press a kiss to the ring.

"I had no idea you were going to propose," I said. "I expected you to do something more elaborate."

"You're not disappointed, are you?" Caius asked, looking worried.

I grinned at him. "Not at all. Just pleasantly surprised."

"It was a trick. So we can go all out for the wedding," Marcus said warmly.

"Like you wouldn't have done that anyway," I pointed out.

"Ah, mia cara, you know us so well," Aro said. "Shall we go inside? You're getting chilly."

"Good idea," I said with a slight shiver. Upon arriving back in my wing, my cell phone started ringing. "Bet you five bucks it's Alice."

"We're not foolish enough to take that bet, amore," Caius said with a chuckle.

I answered the phone and immediately yanked it away from my ear as Alice squealed. "I can't believe you're engaged!"

"Can you at least pretend to be shocked?" I asked, amused. "How long have you known?"

"A little over a week. I saw their decision to ask Emmett's blessing while they were here for Renesmee, and of course Edward saw that, so the whole family has known for a while," Alice said. "You have to send us pictures of the ring! I want details! How did they ask? I want to know everything!"

"Give her room to breathe, Alice. Congratulations, Rowan, I'm so happy for you," Rosalie said.

"Thanks, Mom. Please tell me you got them asking for Emmett's blessing on camera," I said.

"Unfortunately, no, but I can give you a play-by-play," Rose said.

"Bummer. Did he at least make them squirm a little?" I asked, giggling at the unimpressed look Caius sent me from across the room.

"Yes. Though they'd never admit it. Your dad can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be," Rose said.

"Speaking of, where is he?" I asked.

"Right here, Ro-bear. Pretty much the whole family is on the call right now. But I kicked Edward out for you."

I laughed. "Thanks. I'll call him later. I've made you suffer from his moping long enough."

"You're my favorite kid, you know that?" Emmett asked.

"I'm your only kid, but thanks," I said, grinning. "I'll call everyone again in a bit, I'm going to go enjoy the rest of Christmas. So much has happened and it's barely lunchtime."

"You better call again later! Like I said, I want all the details!" Alice chirped. "And Bella hasn't said, but she does too!"

"Hey, Bells," I greeted.

"Hey Ro. Congratulations. I'm really happy for you," Bella said. "Don't listen to Alice, just call whenever you get a chance."

"Thanks. I will, don't worry. Give Nessie my love," I said.

"I will. She'll be happy you mentioned her, she's bugging me to death about calling more often so she can talk to you more," Bella said.

I laughed. "Oh, she's precious. She can call whenever, as long as I'm awake. But you've distracted me, Bella. I really should get going. Just let Edward know that I'm going to call him later so he better have a good and genuine apology ready."

"I'll pass on the message. Bye, Rowan. Love you," Bella said.

"Love you, Rowan!" The rest of the family chorused.

"Love you guys. Bye," I said, hanging up the call. I shook my head fondly. "I'm still annoyed at them, but they make it hard to hold a grudge."

"You're too fond of them, amore. If it happened once, it will happen again," Caius said. "That's how it always is."

"We'll see," I said. "Any other crazy Christmas plans or was the engagement the grand finale?"

"Don't worry, no more surprises," Aro assured me. "How would you like to spend the rest of the day?"

"How about lunch, and then we'll figure something out," I suggested as my stomach rumbled.

"Good idea," Marcus agreed.

The rest of Christmas passed rather uneventfully. As promised, I called Edward, but not until after nightfall.

"Thought you had changed your mind," Edward said after we greeted one another. "About calling, I mean. Alice was quick to assure you I was wrong."

"Very on-brand for Alice," I said. "Look, Edward-"

"Wait. Before you say anything else, can I talk? Please?" he asked.

I relented. "Alright."